focused humility

In the twenty second chapter of Luke we have an event that has touched the lives of many, many believers, is honored and celebrated weekly by millions, and represents one of the essential messages of Jesus' life: the last supper. Let me draw your attention to some of the things that happened there.

We have Jesus with His trusted twelve, including the betrayer. How often have you broken bread with someone who you know will break your trust, forgiving him even before he breaks you trust, knowing that he will?

We have Jesus indicating the meal was symbolically associated with the passover - in fact He's been so focused on it that 'with desire He has desired' to eat the passover with His disciples. How often have you been so focused on something that your very desire is not just for the event in question, but your desire is focused on the desire for the event itself? Or to phrase it another way, how often have you given a goal so much thought that you've put into planning the planning for the planning itself?

We have Jesus NOT drinking from the cup that he passes around. He fasts from drinking it "until it [the suffering/death of Jesus] be fulfilled in the kingdom of God". He passes the cup around, tells the twelve to divide it amongst themselves, and then reiterates that he won't drink the wine "until the kingdom of God shall come".

We have Jesus giving thanks for the bread, breaking it, and also passing it around the table, followed by instructions to do the same in remembrance of Him.
We have Jesus associating the cup (of wine, presumably) after supper with the New Testament. This is the cup mentioned in the twenty sixth chapter of Matthew, which Jesus also said to drink in remembrance of Him.

It is humbling to realize that some parts of that wine and that bread must needs be around in the world right now. At the very least, his twelve disciples were alive after Jesus died, returned, and left, so they "passed" the wine and bread and some of those molecules that touched the body of Jesus must necessarily be SOMEWHERE.

Another humbling note is that God prays. It is one thing to consider that Jesus prayed regularly and earnestly - it is quite another to realize that He was real and prayed to His father, just like we all do. How amazing is it that our king prayed for us? How amazing is it that He has no pride, no arrogance, all wisdom, and can be an edifying influence on us, even while residing in Heaven and our hearts? God is real and has waited all of our lives to answer his prayers with prayers of our own.

Yes, our king is humble - one of the more amazing of the miracles that comprised Jesus' life.

Call to action:

Ask for God to quicken awareness all the ways your life has been directly influenced by the attributes of God, as well as revealing that what you can do to emulate those qualities.

Use humility as means to doing daily work toward hearing God daily.

Tender mercies as euthanasiatic propensity

I am tempted to mention April fools day here, simply because it has elements of paganism, something I would speak against. I have no large portion of words to share, save for the phrasing that seems to be floating about concerning it, that April 1st is the official holiday of Atheists.
This turn of events is chiefly caused by the association between the first day in April and that of the phrase "fool", whilst simultaneously relating to the passing indicating that it is a fool that does not acknowledge the existence of God (Psalms 14:1 KJV), hence the association. So, if it be in your heart to observe today as a day of mirth in and of itself, I would heartily ask you to consider the source of you levity. And if you are a believer in our dear Lord Christ, I would ask you to pray for those poor souls who, to quote an old knight who was visited by Harrison Ford - "You have chosen poorly."

The tenth verse in Proverbs 12 reminds us that tender mercies are often crueler than understanding the whole of a thing, and acting accordingly. I don't know if it was intended, but I am reminded of euthanasia, that sickeningly devious moral dilemma, wherein someone's life is given the option of opting out because of a physical ailment. I can't say I have any particular wisdom here, and I know that man is not the same as beast, but I have to wonder at what point letting someone survive past the point where they can be functionally included in their own life is a good thing. Not that the definitions for any of those terms is clear cut, but the whole field of euthanasia is clearly one where God is not present. One of the areas where I have regularly heard God speak to me is in regards to that amazing relationship that can, and should, exist between Himself and a believer. It should be personal and daily. One of the results of this kind of relationship, I believe, is that euthanasia would never be an issue. I am not making light of this issue - on the contrary, I feel rather strongly about assisted suicide. But the fact remains that, as long as you codify morality, as long as you make a set of guidelines out of the well-thought-out decisions of families, you run the risk of unjust, immoral, and horrific decisions, in the name of wisdom. And it is that all lawmakers should guard against, but also one of the most devious things to lack detection.

So what is today's call to action?
Walk with God!
God loves everyone reading this journal (and everyone else besides - God IS love, yes?) and I have seen, in scripture and prayer, that it hurts God to be out of fellowship with His faithful followers. Imagine if your earthly father provided everything you could ever want before you even realized you needed it, gave you ever opportunity to grow into the very best you could be, and you didn't spend any time getting to know him, because you were too busy?
It is an easy decision to make on a daily basis - it is, I believe, the default of the majority of us. The result is that God, pouring His heart out daily, is regularly (dare I say religiously) rejected by nearly everyone, but in particular those who would claim His salvation.
I can't say this is you, certainly I don't have the gift of prophecy at this time. But I would call you to ask yourself, as well as pray, about your own walk with Jesus. Have you been listening?
Likewise, I believe we are called to be accountable to God (at the very least), and with this in mind, if you notice someone not bearing fruit, who clearly indicates they love Jesus, I would pray for/about that person. If God places it on your heart to pray for them daily, obviously do that. Likewise, if God places it on your heart to approach them about their lack of fruit, one might address the gains in ones life that follow an active relationship with Christ!

Go with God's grace!